Raiders steal the rover leaving Jeremiah and Kurdy to make their way on foot. They wander onto an abandoned amusement park, only to be accosted by Cord Geary, who lives in the park with several families. The men are all well armed including Jack, who lives in the park with his daughter, Sophie.

While the adults question Jeremiah and Kurdy, a group of children watch Jeremiah closely. Their leader is a twelve-year-old known as Fipps, who tells his friends Tommy and Beth that Jeremiah is "him", the one who will stop the "blood vultures" who have been preying on them. Cord is willing to accept the newcomers, but Jack is hostile towards them. With two children found dead , one with no blood left in her, and two still missing, it's understandable why he trusts no one.

The children prove to be remarkably well read and capable. They also follow a children's cult that has been springing up around the country and their faith in Jeremiah's ability to 'save them' unnerves him. Jeremiah is more concerned with the fact that the raiders came by and traded their packs and will be returning to trade for a generator the families are repairing. He and Kurdy agree to help guard the children until the raiders return but remain unable to gain Jack's trust.

When another child is killed, the adults begin to take sides about their visitors. Then little Sophie mysteriously vanishes from the guarded storage room where the children have been sleeping. As everyone combs the grounds looking for Sophie, Jeremiah and Kurdy find an old plan of the park and realize that a tunnel underneath the park right up to the children's room. Entering the tunnel, they find Sophie's doll and a partly smoked joint. The drug leads them to a dealer, then on to a herbalist. Under pressure, "Medicine Joe" reveals that a man named Magyar supplies him with a medicine that will ward off the Big Death if it returns. The medicine includes the blood of children.

When Jeremiah goes to check Magyar's lair before leading a rescue party in, Magyar takes Jeremiah prisoner. Around him kept in pens are the missing children. Meanwhile, Kurdy tries to convince the adults that the children should be made to face reality and not follow their children's cult beliefs. Young Beth's reaction makes Kurdy truly consider the value of believing in something. When Kurdy arrives with the adults, everyone is put to the test and Kurdy finds that the children's faith is, in a way, justified.